Hi, I was wondering if anyone could tell me whether it is better to water before a cold snap or not. I live in South Florida and my plants need to be watered, it's supposed to get in the 50's this week. Is it best to wait until the weather warms up or give them the water they need? Thanks for the input.
temps in the 50's are not anything to worry about, so, water what needs it!! it's temps that are going to be below 40 that would cause problems.
Thanks Jocelyn. What happens when we get under 40? Do you water or is is best to let them stay dry? It rarely does that here, but last winter we stayed in the 30's quite a bit. I just kind of took my chances and watered when they needed it. Thanks again.
if the temps are going to be at/under 40 and the plants aren't really hardy at those temps, bring them inside. if they can manage to weather through, i would scale back on watering because the low temps will force a bit of dormancy to occur. although, if it's just one or two nights with low temps when the days are above 55-60, i wouldn't necessarily avoid watering - especially if the plant is really in need of it. what plants, in particular, are you concerned about?? knowing what you have will enable giving specifics for those species.
Jocelyn, you are such a big help, thanks. It is a garden, we are able to grow so much down here in South Florida because of our temperatures. I have lettuce (which will like the cold) cauliflower, tomatoes, carrots, corn, bush beans, peppers, and sunflowers. So it is not possible to move inside, the weather has already gotten back up to the low 80's during the day, and low 70's at night. I am just hoping we have a nice winter again this year and am trying to be prepared.
haha, didn't look before. my dad is port st lucie, too. haha, just got off the phone with him and he said it's getting rainy... generally, you should be fine with just about anything - the temps there are pretty decent all year round. lettuce does best in the cooler temps - under 72 - so, this is a good time for you to be growing that. the sunflowers, tomato, beans and peppers do better with hotter temps (day and at night), so, it might not be the right time for them now - might want to wait until late february to get them going. corn definitely needs hot temps - i wouldn't bother with that one right now. although, you can certainly put some out and see how they do (and save some seeds for later). you may see slower growth, though, without consistantly warm temps day and night. and, any frosts you may get you will need to protect them from - a blanket laid over would be sufficient for what little frost you get there. good luck!!
